Dictionary

a- en · X · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ə/

Etymology

From Middle English a- (“up, out, away”), from Old English ā-, originally *ar-, *or-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out-”), from Proto-Indo-European *uds- (“up, out”). Cognate with Old Saxon a-, German er-.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, morpheme) Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.
   • arise, await
2. (idiomatic, morpheme) Forming verbs with the sense of intensified action.
   • abide, amaze